Shanghai team saves virus patient's life

Editor's note:

Many Shanghai medical workers are already in or on their way to support Wuhan, a city now severely stricken by the novel coronavirus outbreak. They are called "the most beautiful people who are going in the opposite direction to most others" by the public. They are combating the new epidemic on the frontline to protect people and the nation. Some of them shared their experiences in Wuhan with Shanghai Daily.

A patient infected with coronavirus, and whose lung collapsed, has been discharged from Wuhan's Jinyintan Hospital as one of the most successful cases treated by the Shanghainese medical teams there.

The presence of coronavirus also caused kidney failure, making treatment much harder than normal.

Dr Zha Qiongfang, a doctor from Renji Hospital, said the patient left hospital on Wednesday with an oxygenator to use at home.

The man, who is in his 40s, was transferred to the Wuhan hospital’s intensive care unit in early February. "When he arrived, he had a serious oxygen deficiency and his lips had turned blue," Zha said. "We used an oxygenator to assist his breathing but later he was found to have kidney failure, which made us take measures to protect his kidney."

Although his condition soon improved, he then suffered a collapsed lung. 

Doctors had to reinflate the lung as well as drain blood and other fluids.

Several days later, his lung collapsed again. 

"I used syringes to draw 800 milliliters of air from him. Dressed in thick protective clothing, the stuffiness made the operation very hard. I think I'll remember that feeling all my life," Zha said.

But the patient gradually recovered. 

”I took out the stitches for him and told him to give up smoking. Now we're all pleased to see him leaving the hospital and blessed him."

The man will be kept in quarantine for two weeks. "We asked him to continue respiratory rehabilitation exercises to improve some symptoms like breathing difficulties," Zha said.